Man&#39;s undergarment and method of making



Dec. 31, 1968 c. w, SHUMATE 3,418,660

MANS UNDERGARMENT AND METHOD OF MAKING Filed Nov. 24, 1967 Sheet I ofZ award Dec. 31, 1968 c. w. SHUMATE 3,418,660

MANS UNDERGARMENT AND METHOD OF MAKING Filed Nov 24, 1967 Sheet 2 of 5 i v Q N Jiveziorf @g/firdQ/JW Dec. 31, 1968 c. w. SHUMATE MAN'S UNDERGARMENT AND METHOD 0F MAKING Filed Nov. 24, 1967 .Ziz uer far. fZ/fwdfi jfifama fe @jmu, M2591; (X

United States Patent 0 3,418,660 MANS UNDERGARMENT AND METHOD OF MAKING Clifford W. Shumate, Carlisle, Ky., assignor to Blue Grass Industries, Inc., Carlisle, Ky., a corporation of Kentucky Filed Nov. 24, 1967, Ser. No. 686,003 11 Claims. (Cl. 2224) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A mans undergarment and a method of manufacture therefor are disclosed. The front panel of the garment is a non-woven fibrous fabric provided with a permanent vertical pleat arranged so as to provide convenient access to the interior fold of the pleat along at least a substantial portion of its vertical length. The material of the front panel is provided with a perforation line, preferably colinear with the interior fold line of the pleat, and the material is adapted to tear along the perforation line under moderate hand pressure to thereby define a fly opening. The garment construction is completed by a back panel seamed to the front panel along a pair of adjoining lateral edges and by a crotch seam that defines a pair of separate leg openings in the garment. The disclosed method and construction provide an economical product especially well-suited to the characteristics and requirements of disposable type undergarments.

SPECIFICATION Background of the invention The present invention relates generally to undergarments for men and a method of manufacture therefor. More specifically, the invention is directed to a simplified garment construction and manufacturing method especially well-suited, although not limited, to mens disposable undergarments.

A substantial, if not predominant, factor in the cost of mens undergarments resides in the provision of a suitable fly construction. It is generally preferred that the fly opening be provided between overlapping portions of material and, to effect this result, the prior art constructions have used multiple pieces of material and/or have used extensive seaming and binding of the material in forming the fly. The various prior art manufacturing procedures and constructural arrangements for the remaining portions of the undergarment have also contributed to its cost, although to a lesser extent than the fly.

Of course, reductions in the cost of manufacture of conventional cloth undergarments offer attractive competitive advantages; however, an economical, yet comfortable and neat appearing product is absolutely essential to the success of disposable type undergarments.

Summary of the invention It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved mans undergarment and method of manufacture therefor.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a fly construction and method of manufacture that results in the desired overlapped fly arrangement but at a significant reduction in cost as compared to conventional arrangements.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a disposable undergarment of a design that takes unique advantage of the characteristics of the non-woven fabric material types typically used in making disposable clothing.

In accordance with the invention, the front panel portion of a mans undergarment is provided with a fly construction comprising means for permanently maintaining a vertical pleat in the front panel so as to afford convenient access to the interior fold of the pleat along at least a substantial portion of its vertical length. The material of the front panel is provided with a vertically oriented perforation line within the interior fold of the pleat and the material is adapted to tear along the perforation line under moderate hand pressure to thereby define a fly opening.

Other constructional features of the garment are also disclosed as well as a preferred method for manufacturing the fly and undergarment.

Brief descriptions of the drawings The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention together with further objects and advantages thereof may best be understood, however, with reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in the several figures of which like reference numerals identify like elements and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a front panel of an undergarment according to the present invention prior to the forming of a vertical pleat therein;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the front panel after folding of the material to provide the vertical pleat therein;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of a back panel of the undergarment of the present invention;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the front and back panel as seamed along one pair of mating lateral edges;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view as in FIGURE 4 with the waistband added along the upper edges of the panels;

FIGURE 6 is a plan view with the remaining side seam and the crotch seam added to complete the undergarment and the garment turned inside out to expose all of the seams to view;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary plan view of the completed undergarment turned right side out;

FIGURE 8 is an exploded, detail view of the fly construction of the undergarment taken along lines 88 of FIGURES 7; and

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of the completed undergarment shown with the perforation line separated or torn to define a fly opening.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring to FIGURE 1, there is shown a pre-cut front panel 10 that forms one of the two basic components of the undergarment according to the present invention. The front panel 10 is of a generally trapezoidal outline with the bottom edge thereof being additionally cut to define a generally U-shaped recess 12 approximately midway between the lateral edges of the panel.

The front panel 10 also includes a vertical perforation line 14, denoted in the drawing by the short dashed line segments, positioned approximately equidistant the opposed lateral sides of the panel and extending a predetermined substantial portion of the vertical distance between the top and bottom edges of the panel. For reasons to be explained, there is also indicated, for reference purposes, a fold line 16, denoted by the comparatively long dashed line segments on the front panel 10.

The fly construction of the present undergarment is made by lapping the material at the left of the reference fold line 16 over the perforation line 14 so as to form a vertical pleat in the material. The formed pleat is shown in FIGURE 2 with the perforation line 14 being co-linear with the interior fold line of the pleat and the reference line 16 lying along the exterior fold line thereof, as preferred, as best illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 8. The overlapping material portions are tacked or sewn at the points 3 18a-18c to provide a pocket-like opening of limited dimensions to the interior fold of the pleat.

Referring now to FIGURE 3, there is shown a back or seat panel 20 of the undergarment, likewise of a trapezoidal outline and of dimensions substantially identical to those of the front panel 10. The back panel 20 is also formed to define a generally U-shaped recess 22 in the bottom edge of the panel, approximately midway between the lateral sides thereof. It will be noted that the recess 22 is substantially identical to that contour of recess 12 existing after formation of the pleat in the front panel, as shown at FIGURE 2. Of course, for convenience and uniformity in appearance, the front and back panels and are preferably made from like material.

Referring in order to FIGURES 4 and 5, succeeding steps in the method of manufacture of the garment are illustrated. Specifically, in FIGURE 4 the front and back panels have been turned face down and one pair of mating lateral edges thereof have been seamed at 24. Preferably, the garment is seamed by a conventional industrial sewing machine, although it is to be understood that the seaming may be accomplished in other ways, as by gluing in the case of paper-like garment materials of the disposable types. It will also be recognized that although it is preferred to have the panels of equal size, one or the other of the panels may be increased in width with a corresponding reduction in width being made in the other panel. In FIGURE 5, an elastic waistband 26 has been sewn along the full extent of the upper edges of the seamed panels 10 and 20. The illustrated waistband means is preferred because of its simplicity and excellent functional results, although it is understood that other Well-known forms of adjustable waistband means may be used without departing from the present invention.

Refer-ring now to FIGURE 6, the garment 10 is folded so that the front panel 10 squarely overlies the back panel 20 with the first side seam 24 lying at the left fold line between the front and back panels. The remaining pair of mating lateral edges of the front and back panels are then seamed at 27 to close the garment. Also, the adjacent edges of the mating U-shaped recesses in the respective panels are stitched together along a crotch seam 28 to define a pair of separate leg openings 30 and 32 in the undergarment. It may also be appreciated that the pleat in the front panel is permanently maintained by virtue of its being sewn along the crotch seam 28 and under the waistband 26, in addition to the stitching at the three tack points 18a-18c. The garment as shown in FIGURE 6 is turned inside out as shown in FIGURE 7, to conceal the seams from view, as is conventional.

Access is had to the interior fold or pocket portion of the fly in the region intermediate the vertically spaced tack points 18a and 18b. The fly construction according to the present invention perhaps can best be understood, however, by reference to FIGURES 8 and 9. In FIGURE 8, the reference fold line 16 is clearly seen to define the edge of the exterior fold of the pleat while the perforation line 14 is co-linear with the interior fold line thereof. The nature of the garment material and of the perforation line 14 therein is such that when a moderate hand pressure is applied against the perforation line from the direction of the arrow 34 in the drawing, the material tears precisely along the perforation line to provide the desired fly opening.

The completed undergarment with the perforation line 14 having been torn to define the fly opening is shown in FIGURE 9. The undergarment there shown is of the boxer shorts type, however, it is understood that the invention may be used in conjunction with other kinds of undergarment constructions. Furthermore, the order of the steps of the method as disclosed herein and as recited in the appended claims are not critical but are dictated by expediency in the manufacturing process. Accordingly, the ordering of the steps may be varied without departing from the invention.

It is preferred in accordance with the present invention that the perforation line 14 not be torn open during manufacture, but rather the garment is sold with the material of the front panel intact. The user of the garment breaks the fly opening only in the event it is to be used. Because of this feature, the illustrated construction is particularly attractive in conjunction with the manufacture of disposable undergarments. Specifically in the present arrangement, it is unnecessary to bind the opposite edges of the fly opening to prevent fraying, etc. of the garment material as such can not occur prior to opening of the fly by the user and it is contemplated that the garment will be disposed of before fraying, or the like, in any way becomes significant. In this regard, paper or other nonwoven fibrous materials capable of being provided with a tearable perforation line are satisfactory for use in practicing the present invention.

While a particular embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, it is apparent that various changes and modifications may be made, and it is therefore intended in the following claims to cover all such modifications and changes as may fall Within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. A method of manufacturing a mans undergarment from pre-cut component material portions including a front panel, a back panel and a waistband, said method comprising the steps of:

forming a vertically oriented perforation line of predetermined length in said front panel intermediate the lateral sides thereof, said garment material being adapted to tear along said perforation line under moderate hand pressure applied therealong;

folding an adjacent portion of said front panel over said perforation line to define a vertically oriented pleat in said front panel;

seaming said front and back panels along one pair of mating lateral edges thereof;

applying said waistband means along the upper edges of said front and back panels;

seaming the remaining pair of mating lateral edges of said front and back panels to close said garment;

and seaming said front and back panels along a predetermined intermediate portion of their lower edges to provide a garment crotch portion cooperating with other portions of said front and back panels define a pair of separate leg openings in said garment.

2. The method of claim 1 in which said folding step is effected so that said perforation line is approximately colinear with the interior fold line of said pleat.

3. The method of claim 2 and further including the step of:

tacking said pleat at predetermined vertically spaced points to permanently maintain said pleat in said garment while providing an access to the interior fold of said pleat intermediate said tacked points.

4. A method of manufacturing a fly in the front panel of a mans under-garment comprising the steps of:

forming a vertically oriented perforation line of predetermined length in said front panel, said front panel being adapted to tear along said perforation line under the application of moderate hand pressure therealong;

folding an adjacent portion of said front panel over said perforation line to form a vertical pleat in said front panel with said perforation line lying within the interior fold of said pleat;

and seaming said front panel to permanently maintain said pleat therein but so as to permit access to said interior fold of said pleat.

5. A mans undergarment comprising:

a front panel having a vertically oriented pleat positioned approximately midway between the opposite lateral sides of said front panel and further having a vertically oriented perforation line within the interior fold of said pleat, said front panel being adapted to tear along said perforation line upon application of mderate hand pressure therealong;

a back panel seamed along its opposed lateral edges to respective corresponding lateral edges of said front panel for peripherally closing said garment, said front and back panels being further joined along a crotch seam for defining a pair of separate leg openings in said undergarment;

and adjustable diameter Waistband means positioned about the top edges of said front and back panels of said garment.

6. The garment of claim 5 in which said perforation line is approximately co-linear with the interior fold line of said pleat.

7. The garment of claim 6 including means for permanently retaining said pleat, said means including said waistband means and said crotch seam.

8. The garment of claim 7 in which said front panel, when folded to define said pleat, is substantially identical in size to said back panel.

9. The garment of claim 8 in which said front and back panels are formed to define respective, generally U-shaped recesses in their lower edges and in which substantially only the edges of said recesses are seamed to define said crotch portion of said garment.

10. The garment of claim 9 in which said material is of a non-Woven fibrous fabric type suitable for making a disposable garment and said front panel consists of a single piece of said fabric.

11. In a front panel portion of a mans undergarment, a fly construction comprising:

a vertical pleat in said front panel, and means for permanently maintaining said vertical pleat so as to provide convenient access to the interior fold of said pleat along at least a substantial portion of its vertical length, the material of said front panel being perforated along a substantially vertical line within said interior fold and said material being further adapted to tear along said perforation line under moderate hand pressure to thereby define a fly opening in said garment.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

H. HAMPTON HUNTER, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 2-2143; 229-63 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,418,660 December 31, 196

Clifford W Shumate It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

"FIGURES" should read FIGURE Column 6,

Column 2, line 41, line 17, "9,093,295" should read 3,093,295

Signed and sealed this 14th day of April 1970.

(SEAL) Attest:

WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR.

Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer 

